Liverpool sealed their place in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) round of 16 with a commanding 6-0 victory over Qarabağ FK at Anfield, extending the Azerbaijani side’s winless streak against English opposition to nine matches (D1, L8).

After seeing their 13-game unbeaten run end against Bournemouth at the weekend, Liverpool were determined to start strongly under the Anfield lights.

An early injury to Jeremie Frimpong was a setback for Qarabağ, but Liverpool capitalized quickly, taking the lead in the 15th minute when Alexis Mac Allister bundled a close-range header over the line for his second UCL goal of the group stage.

Momentum continued to swing Liverpool’s way, with Hugo Ekitike teeing up Florian Wirtz just six minutes later. Wirtz took a single touch to compose himself before slotting a clinical finish into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.

The Reds dominated proceedings as the first half drew to a close. Andy Robertson’s shot went narrowly over the bar, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo both saw efforts denied by Qarabağ goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski.

Early in the second half, Qarabağ fell further behind as Szoboszlai set up Mohamed Salah, who curled a sublime free-kick into the edge of the box.

Liverpool then added two goals in quick succession to put the game out of reach. Ekitike raced through two defenders to score a brilliant solo effort, before Mac Allister tucked home his second of the night with a scrappy finish in the six-yard box.

With their place in the top eight already secure, Liverpool rotated several key players in the final 25 minutes, yet still managed to extend their lead. Federico Chiesa, coming off the bench, slotted home from Virgil van Dijk’s assist to complete the 6-0 rout.

Despite the heavy defeat, Qarabağ made history as the first Azerbaijani club to reach the UCL knockout stages.